Arrangement for retro-actively cutting wiper blades

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an arrangement for retro-actively cutting wiper blades, comprising a first guiding element (D) which engages in grooves which are arranged on both sides of the wiper blades, and a second guiding element (L) which is arranged in close proximity to the edge of the lip (M) of the wiper blade which is to be retro-actively cut. A blade (J) is arranged in close proximity to the second guiding element (L). The second guiding element (L) has a fixed width such that the lip (M) of the wiper blade is guided in a smooth-running manner.

The invention relates to an arrangement for retro-actively cutting wiperblades comprising a first guide, engaging in grooves on both sides ofthe wiper blade, and a second guide in close proximity to the edge ofthe lip of the wiper blade to be cut retro-actively.

The quality of the wiping process for wipers depends very much on thestate of the edges of the wiper blade. However, due to sharp-edgedparticles adhering to the wind-screen or due to surface hardening causedby atmospheric influences or by age, damage to the edges of the wipersoccurs, negatively affecting the wiping result or resulting in noisedevelopment. Regular replacement of the wipers is therefore recommended,which is relatively expensive. For this reason, proposals have alreadybeen made to process wiper blades, namely by abrasion or retroactivecutting.

An apparatus for retroactive cutting is known, for example, from DE 8633 841 U1. In the case of this apparatus, the wiper blade to be cutretroactively is pulled through a guiding groove, having approximatelythe negative profile of the wiper blade and wherein in level-adjustablemanner a quarter circle-shaped blade is disposed. However, retroactivelycutting wiper blades is only useful if an extremely accurate cut isperformed. This is, however, not possible in the case of the known wiperblade plane, inter alia because the lip of the wiper blade is deformedin a disadvantageous manner due to the cutting forces acting on thequarter-circle shaped blade.

With DE 35 10 738 A1 a device for retro-actively cutting wiper bladelips has become known, wherein the wiper blade is double-guided. The oneguide holds the wiper blade in the region of the grooves disposed onboth sides, their purpose on the wiper blade being to permit the lip toflip over when the direction of the wiping process changes, so that itis always pulled—and not pushed—across the windscreen. A second guide inthe known device for retroactively cutting wiper blade lips ispositioned in close proximity to the edge to be cut retroactively. Inthis device, because of possibly different lip widths, an automaticadjustment of the width of this guide to the respective wiper lip widthis provided. This is done in that the lip is introduced, in apre-tensioned state, into the guide formed by two parallel-extendingsheet metal strips. This results in the occurrence of frictional forcesin the second guide, likewise deforming the sensitive lip in a mannerimpairing the cutting process.

It is an object of the present invention to obtain a perfect cut whenretroactively cutting wiper blades, with an arrangement which can behandled by anybody. This object is attained according to the inventionin that a blade is disposed in close proximity to the second guide andthat the second guide has a fixed width such that the lip of the wiperblade is guided in a smooth-running manner.

The invention is based on the knowledge that deformations of the wiperblade and, in particular, the lip result in irregular cuts, inter aliawave-shaped deviations from the ideal line. Due, in particular, to theconfiguration of the second guide, deformations of the wiper blade aretherefore largely avoided, this being furthermore promoted by a blade,which is as thin as possible. Detailed tests have shown that with afixed width of the second guide the lips of nearly all available wiperblades are guided sufficiently well, to the extent that a perfect cut isproduced.

The invention may preferably be designed as a simple apparatus throughwhich the wiper blade to be cut retroactively is guided by hand.However, mechanical or automated operation, including motor-drivenoperation, is likewise possible. For controlling the number of cuttingprocesses performed, a counter may also be provided.

In the following, the direction of movement will be denoted aslongitudinal direction of the wiper blade and the direction transversethereto as the transverse direction. The direction normal to the planedefined by the wiper edges will be denoted in the following as thedirection of cutting.

An introduction of the wiper blade into the second guide is facilitatedin that the second guide tapers from a relatively large width in thedirection of movement to a fixed width. This may be attained by aV-shaped introduction region of the second guide, followed by a regionhaving the fixed width. However, within the scope of the invention otherconfigurations of the second guide are likewise possible, facilitatingthe introduction, for example curved or spherical guides.

An advantageous embodiment consists in that the second guide has a depthcomprising the portion of the lip to be cut off.

Since the cut-off portion of the lip represents a very thin andtherefore flexible strip, which may under no circumstances get jammed,another advantageous embodiment provides that the second guide, startingat the cutting edge of the blade, expands into a discharge passage.Preferably, the discharge passage has a width and a depth of at leasttwice the width of the lip. This discharge passage, as closely behindthe cutting edge as possible, merges into a discharge passage having alarger cross-section.

A compact, easily manageable form of the arrangement according to theinvention is provided by another advantageous embodiment, with thefeature that the second guide forms a cutting unit with the blade,mounted in an adjustable manner in the direction of cutting.

In this context, it is preferably provided that the first guide formspart of a basic body and that the cutting unit is mounted in anadjustable manner in the basic body and/or that a further dischargepassage is disposed in the basic body, the cross-section of whichcorresponds at least to that of the discharge passage and/or that foradjusting purposes a spindle is disposed on the cutting unit, which isin interactive play-free communication with a spindle nut mounted in arecess of the basic body.

In order to prevent maladjustment during the cutting process, anotheradvantageous embodiment may provide that the position of the cuttingunit may be locked. It was found to be advantageous for the first guideto be longer than the second guide, namely preferably having a length ofbetween 70 mm and 200 mm.

Stable guidance of the wiper blade is in this context promoted if thefirst guide is curved in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade.However, a straight or only partially curved first guide is, inprinciple, likewise acceptable.

In order to permit a setting of the cutting depth, in each case adaptedto the prevailing lip height, a further development of the inventionmakes provision for a measuring device. In particular, the measuringdevice may be formed by a scale in a passage receiving the wiper bladeand an observation aperture or by a scale on either side of a passagereceiving the wiper blade and a movable stop member or by a movablefeeler gauge.

A further possibility to facilitate the setting of the cutting depth isthe provision of a viewing device at a preset distance from the blade inthe direction of cutting. If the preset distance corresponds to thedesired cutting depth, setting of the cutting depth may be performed asfollows:

If the user adjusts the cutting depth while looking through the viewingdevice, the cutting depth is then correctly set at the instant when theedge of the wiper blade just unblocks or blocks the view—depending onthe direction in which the adjustment is performed. The distance may,however, also be selected differently, so that the cutting depth, afterobservation, must be changed by a predetermined distance, for example byone turn of an adjusting screw.

Another further development of the arrangement according to theinvention provides that the second guide has a surface, which reducesfriction. This may be done by applying an appropriate coating, forexample, Teflon, by applying a lubricant and/or by appropriatelystructuring the surface.

A further advantageous embodiment is provided in that a plurality offirst guide are disposed in a body. It may further be provided that abody has the form of a hollow cylinder or prism, open on one side,encompassing a basic body with a cutting unit like a lid, in whichcontext the body and the basic body are adjustable in relation to oneanother in the direction of their axis. The prism may comprise bases inthe form of an equilateral polygon. The adjustment may preferably beattained in that the cylinder or the prism and the basic body arerotatably interconnected for adjusting purposes by means of a thread.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention it is provided that thecutting edge of the blade is positioned normal to the direction ofmovement and normal to the direction of cutting. This makes it possibleto achieve good cutting results. However, other angle positions andblade shapes are likewise possible.

Thus, it may, for example, be provided that the blade is positionedobliquely in the cutting direction, that the blade is bent over in thecutting direction such that the cutting area is V-shaped, that the bladeis curved in the cutting direction such that a concave cutting areacomes about and/or that the cutting edge of the blade extends arrow-likein the direction of movement of the wiper blade.

In the arrangement according to the invention, preferably an extremelythin blade is used, having a low stability per se. In order tonevertheless obtain clean cuts, means are provided according to afurther development of the invention for fixing the position of theblade in the cutting region. The latter secure the blade in relation toits position, in particular the cutting depth, its torsion and itsrotation.

Preferably, the blade is supported firmly on surfaces directly adjoiningthe cutting region. This may be performed by clamping or adhesivebonding. Even in the event that, for structural reasons, the actualfixation is performed remote from the second guide, the fixation inrelation to the surfaces directly adjoining the cutting region may beensured by appropriate bending and/or tensile stress.

Another possibility for adjusting the cutting depth may be provided alimitation on the first guide in the cutting direction, being adjustablewith the cutting unit and having a preset position towards the cuttingedge in the cutting direction. The user can then increase the cuttingdepth until the limiting device comes to rest against the surface of thewiper blade to be retro-actively cut, whereafter this setting is movedback slightly.

A further advantageous device for measuring the cutting depth is formedin that a stop member, adjustable together with the blade, is providedand a guide, engaging in at least one of the grooves of the wiper blade,is positioned opposite the stop member.

This device may be so designed that the stop member is disposed at theend of a passage intended for the wiper blade and that the guide isformed by a terminal region of the first guide. In this context, thestopper device may or may not protrude from the passage. The stop membershould, however, be visible.

The measuring device may also be so designed that the stop memberprotrudes laterally from the arrangement and a shoulder moulded onto thelongitudinal side of the arrangement forms the guide.

Working examples of the invention are shown in the drawing by way of aplurality of figures and are elucidated in detail in the followingdescription. There is shown in:

FIG. 1 a three-dimensional illustration of an embodiment,

FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 different views of the same embodiment,

FIG. 7 to FIG. 10 different embodiments including a measuring device;

FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 different views of a cutting unit,

FIG. 14 to FIG. 20 different embodiments for the cutting unit,

FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 two views of a further embodiment of the arrangementaccording to the invention,

FIG. 23 a device for measuring the cutting depth and

FIG. 24 a further device for measuring the cutting depth.

The same reference symbols are used in the figures for those parts whichhave identical functions, but which may differ from one another in somedetails.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 comprises a basic body A, which isso designed that it can easily be hand-held. In the longitudinaldirection a passage N passes through the basic body, the said passage Nbeing limited by two webs, forming the first guide—also referred to inwhat follows as 2D-wiper guide. On one end of the 2D-wiper guide afeeding aid W is situated. Due to the curvature of the 2D-wiper guidegood positioning and slight pretensioning of the wiper blade, not shown,is brought about, promoting stabilization during cutting.

A cutting unit B is displaceably mounted inside the basic body A, forwhich purpose it comprises appropriate guides which will be explainedfurther below. By means of the vertical adjusting device shown in FIG. 4the distance between the first and the second guide and, therefore, theblade, is set. For this purpose the cutting unit B is connected to athreaded rod F. An adjusting wheel E comprises a matching thread so thatby turning the adjusting wheel the cutting unit B may be displaced.Optionally, a scale is provided on the adjusting wheel in order to readthe respective setting.

In order to fix the adjusting wheel, a screw G with a knurled head isprovided. The cutting unit B projects into the passage N and comprisesthe second guide L, the lip J and an introduction passage K for the lip,which in FIG. 6 is fed from the right in the direction of the arrow.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 7, in addition a measuring device isintegrated in the basic body A. This measuring device consists of ameasuring pin 0, pressed down by a spring P, an introduction passage Qbeing provided for the lip. When the lip is inserted, the measuring pinmoves upwardly against the force of the spring P so that an extension Rof the measuring pin O emerges from the surface of the basic body A. Theextension comprises a scale, not shown, from which the level of the lipmay be read. This reading is then transmitted to the cutting unit B bythe adjusting wheel E.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment comprising a different measuringdevice, that is to say, scales T are disposed in this case on the endface of the basic body on both sides of the passage. When inserting thewiper blade, a gauge S may be displaced against the wiper blade in thedirection of the double-arrow, as a result of which the level of thewiper may be detected. The detected value is then used for setting thecutting depth.

A further possibility for determining the setting for the cut is shownin FIG. 9, in which context the scale T is disposed within the passageand reading may be performed through a window U, which, if required, maybe designed as a magnifying glass, the wiper blade being partiallyinserted.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment with a viewing hole U, passing through thebasic body in transverse direction. An even smaller viewing hole ispresent in the cutting unit. The cutting depth is then so adjusted thatthe smaller viewing hole only just corresponds to the edge of the wiperblade to be cut.

The cutting unit shown in FIGS. 11 to 13 comprises two guiding webs andguiding surfaces I, which fit into correspondingly formed portions ofthe basic body without play. A feed passage K tapers in the direction ofmovement of the wiper blade towards the second guide L. Onto thisfollows the blade J. Immediately below the cutting edge of the blade Jthe guide L expands into a discharge passage H, into which the cut-offstrips may exit in an unimpeded manner.

FIG. 12 further shows the wiper lip M in its position in the cuttingunit in relation to the blade J during insertion. FIG. 13 illustratesthe front end of the wiper lip M while being inserted into the secondguide L via the introduction passage K.

FIGS. 14 to 20 show various embodiments of the cutting unit, whichdiffer from the cutting unit elucidated above inter alia by a differentshape of the guide within the basic body.

In FIGS. 14 to 20 different blade arrangements are shown, which may beused within the scope of the invention. FIG. 14 thus shows a straightblade, FIG. 15 an oblique blade, FIG. 16 a bent over blade and FIG. 18 acurved blade, while the blade according to FIG. 17 comprises anarrow-shaped cutting edge.

Within the scope of the invention, cutting wheels are likewise possible.FIG. 19 shows, for example, two cutting wheels working in oppositedirection, while FIG. 20 shows a cutting wheel with a counter rotationsurface.

FIG. 21 and FIG. 22 show an arrangement according to the inventioncomprising three 2D-wiper guides D, disposed in a hollow cylindricalbody V. Accordingly, three feed passages W for wiper blades areprovided. By turning the saucer-shaped body V about a cylindrical basicbody A, carrying the cutting unit B ( FIG. 21), the cutting level may inthis case likewise be adjusted. A marking X indicates to which of the2D-wiper guides D the basic body A comprising the cutting unit B isadjusted.

The discharge passage N does not extend in this embodiment parallel tothe passage for the wiper, but vertically in downward direction. Afurther possibility for adjusting the required cutting depth might inthis embodiment be provided by different curvatures of the body V andthe basic body A, which may be matched in such a manner that the basicbody A drives against the wiper lip with the uppermost edge and may beset back for the next cutting mode.

FIGS. 23 and 24 show embodiments, which each comprise a measuringdevice, by means of which the cutting depth is determined, making itthus possible to set the cutting unit. In the embodiment according toFIG. 23 stop member Z protrudes laterally from the basic body through anelongated slit. The stop member Z is rigidly connected to the cuttingunit—namely in such a manner that the upper edge of the stop member ispositioned lower than the cutting edge by that amount, which is to becut off from the wiper lip. A guide Y, positioned on the same level asthe first guide W, is inserted into the groove of the wiper blade whenthe cutting depth is set, whereupon the stop member Z is adjusted by theadjusting wheel in such a manner that it barely touches the edge of thewiper blade not yet cut.

The position of the guide Y of the stop member Z may also be displacedin relation to the first guide situated within the arrangement and inrelation to the cutting edge. What matters is that the relative positionof the guide in relation to the abutment corresponds to the desiredcutting depth.

In the embodiment according to FIG. 24 the stop member Z projects fromthe passage N. The first guide W serves in this case also as a guide formeasuring purposes.

1-33. (canceled)
 34. A wiper blade cutting system for retroactivelycutting wiper blades, comprising: a basic body; at least onelongitudinal passage; a wiper blade guide adjacent said passage; and acutting unit adjacent said wiper guide, wherein said cutting unitincludes at least one cutting blade.
 35. The wiper blade cutting systemaccording to claim 34, further comprising a second wiper blade guide inproximity to the cutting blade having a fixed width adapted to guide alip of said wiper blade.
 36. The wiper blade cutting system according toclaim 35 wherein said second blade guide tapers in the direction ofmovement from a relatively large width to a fixed width.
 37. The wiperblade cutting system according to claim 35 wherein said second bladeguide having a depth which covers the portion of said lip of said wiperblade to be cut.
 38. The wiper blade cutting system according to claim35 wherein said second blade guide, starting at said cutting blade,expands into a discharge passage.
 39. The wiper blade cutting systemaccording to claim 34 wherein said cutting unit is adjustably mounted insaid basic body.
 40. The wiper blade cutting system according to claim39 wherein said adjustable mounting includes a spindle in said cuttingunit, said spindle communicates interactively and play-free with aspindle nut mounted in a recess of said basic body.
 41. The wiper bladecutting system according to claim 34, further comprising a limitingdevice for said wiper blade guide in the direction of cutting, saidlimiting device being adjustable with said cutting unit and having apreset position towards said cutting blade in the direction of cutting.42. The wiper blade cutting system according to claim 34, furthercomprising a cutting depth measuring device, said cutting depthmeasuring device having a stop member, said stop member being adjustablewith said cutting blade and said wiper blade guide.
 43. The wiper bladecutting system according to claim 42 wherein said stop member isarranged at the end of said passage intended for said wiper blade. 44.The wiper blade cutting system according to claim 34 wherein saidwherein said cutting blade is bent in the cutting direction in such amanner that the cutting area is V-shaped.
 45. The wiper blade cuttingsystem according to claim 34 wherein the cutting blade extendsarrow-shaped in the direction of movement of said wiper blade.
 46. Thewiper blade cutting system according to claim 34 characterized in thatthe setting of said cutting unit is lockable.
 47. The wiper bladecutting system according to claim 34 characterized in that said guide iscurved in the longitudinal direction of the wiper blade.
 48. The wiperblade cutting system according to claim 34 characterized in that thecutting edge of the blade is positioned normal to the direction ofmovement and normal to the cutting direction.
 49. The wiper bladecutting system according to claim 34 characterized in that means forfixing the position of the blade in the cutting region are provided. 50.A wiper blade cutting system, comprising: a basic body; at least onelongitudinal passage; a wiper blade guide adjacent said passage; acutting unit adjacent said wiper guide, said cutting unit beingadjustably mounted in said basic body, wherein said cutting unitincludes a cutting blade; a second wiper guide, and a measuring device.51. The wiper blade cutting system according to claim 50 wherein saidmeasuring device is formed by a scale located in said passage and by anobservation aperture.
 52. The wiper blade cutting system according toclaim 50 wherein said measuring device is formed by a scale located onboth sides of said passage and by a movable stop.
 53. The wiper bladecutting system according to claim 50 wherein said measuring device isformed by a movable feeler gauge.
 54. The wiper blade cutting systemaccording to claim 50, further comprising an observation device providedin preset spaced-apart relationship measured from the blade in thedirection of cutting.
 55. A wiper blade cutting system, comprising: abody including at least one longitudinal passage, said body having agenerally hollow cylinder configuration; at least one wiper blade guideadjacent said passage; a basic body having a generally cylindricalconfiguration, said basic body adapted to be inserted into said body; acutting unit attached to said basic body and adjacent said wiper guide,said cutting unit includes a cutting blade; and wherein said body andsaid basic body are adjustably interconnected.